


The End and The Beginning

by greenmage128



Category: Supernatural
Genre: I don't even know just go with it and believe that everything makes sense, I'm just gonna go hide now, M/M, Multi, Supernatural Reverseverse, this isn't a clear cut reverse!verse but it's something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:06:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3644607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenmage128/pseuds/greenmage128
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing everything, Crowley and Gabriel thought that all their choices were their own, until one ends up kickstarting the Apocalypse. And after what should have been the End, Gadreel has an important one left to make.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End and The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> For the [OTP Fic-a-Month Challenge](http://otpfic-a-month.livejournal.com) for March, theme: reverse!verse of any kind. I might expand on this verse eventually. Maybe. Just don't ask me who any specific role in other than the ones provided. I might implode.

Castiel had called Crowley and told him to get over to the bar as soon as he could, saying he had a case for him. Crowley debated not going, the list that the demon Balthazar had given him burning a hole in his pocket, but Cas’ bewildered tone had him curious. It could all very well be a ruse, a very elaborate way to get him to drop in and say hi, which he hadn't done since Gabriel's death. Crowley was intrigued enough to take the risk.

When he arrived, Cas’ sister Anna was out; another case, Cas explained, as he led him to the back room of the bar.

“Speaking of,” Crowley said. He stopped Cas in the narrow hallway, instincts screaming at him that something was off. “What is this case about? And don't feed me more bullshit. You'll start to drive customers away with the smell.”

“If the odor of blood and bad tequila hasn't scared them off, they might find cow manure to be an improvement.” Cas cleared his throat and inclined his head towards the door that lead to the back room. “It's better if I just show you.”

He opened the door, cautious and slow, and Crowley raised an eyebrow. Both Milton siblings had a flair for the dramatic, but this was bordering on ridiculous.

That is, until Crowley saw what was sitting, _lounging_ with his feet kicked up—the bastard—at the dusty corner table. For several moments, he didn't move or blink or even dare to think, lest all of it fade away, and Crowley would wake up in his last shitty motel room, strung out and hungover.

But it didn't, and the other two in the room were starting to look worried, which was somehow worse. So Crowley sputtered out, not believing he could be in a situation that warranted the question even as he asked it, “ _Gabriel_?”

“Oh good. For a second there I thought you'd gone into shock.” Gabriel dropped his feet to the floor and stood, coming within arm's reach in a couple strides across the small room.

Crowley's hunter instincts kicked back in, and he kept his distrance from the thing that looked so much like his dead partner. He looked at Cas. “Is it…?”

Cas nodded. “I ran all the usual tests. He passed them all.”

“Though I could've done without the holy water to the face,” Gabriel said, shooting Cas a look.

The dark-haired man crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. “It was a knee-jerk reaction, Gabriel. How many times can I apologize for that?”

Gabriel smirked, amber eyes flashing gold, and it was then that it all clicked for Crowley, because no supernatural creature could imitate that if they tried. “One more time should do it. But maybe later. Do you mind giving us a moment?”

“Of course.” What might have been a smile flashed across Cas’ face before he turned and left, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.

In the second it took Crowley to draw a breath, Gabriel closed the gap between them and pulled him into a hug. If Crowley clutched back a little too tightly, well he couldn't be blamed, not that he'd admit it either way.

The smaller man shifted to rest his forehead against Crowley's. “Miss me, cupcake?”

“I'm not even going to dignify that with a response,” Crowley said, though he couldn't help smiling. He touched Gabriel's face, ran his fingers through his hair, all while not daring to look away from his eyes.

“Hey.” Gabriel held him tighter, nuzzling his nose. All of this was so unlike them, but circumstance overrode both their instincts to play it cool, apparently. “I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere.”

Crowley chuckled. “You'll have to forgive my hesitation in believing that.” His hand brushed the nape of Gabriel's neck, drifting down to his collarbone, where he paused.

The top button of Gabriel's shirt was unbuttoned, like it always was, and peeking out from under the fabric was an odd-shaped mark, pink-red and raised, almost like a scar, one that Crowley didn't remember. Stranger was the fact that the ones he knew—a long, thin scratch along his jaw from their first werewolf when they were sixteen, and a bump near his hairline courtesy of a vengeful spirit a few years back—were gone.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked.

He touched the mark. “Does that hurt?”

Gabriel squirmed under the attention. “No, but it's—” He swatted away Crowley's hand and unbuttoned his shirt further, revealing the full extent of the mark. “Okay. That's new.”

It turned out to be a handprint of all things, the palm covering Gabriel's heart, while the fingers curled over his left shoulder.

“A parting gift from Hell?” Crowley traced the outline of the mark, an eyebrow raised. “Speaking of, how _did_ you get out?”

His partner shrugged. “Can't say. Though there was this… thing. I think it tried to talk to me when I was on the way here. All it managed to do was take out an entire gas station, but I think I caught a name.”

Crowley laid his hand over the mark, lining it up to match and frowning a little when he saw how small his hand looked by comparison. It reminded him of how powerless, how weak he was, brought out the itching under his skin that only now he was beginning to regret. “Oh?” was all he could manage out loud.

“Mm.” Gabriel covered his hand with his own and squeezed, breaking the spell but for a moment. Crowley would have to call Balthazar at the next opportunity. “Gadreel.”

* * *

Between the three of them and Google, they managed to work out what kind of creature this Gadreel was. The lore called it an angel, a Watcher to be more specific, whatever that meant. Going through Gabriel's father Chuck's journal and Cas' endless stack of books yielded two different summoning rituals, so they tried both. Only one worked, and it wasn't the one Crowley expected.

The walls shook as the spell took effect, several bottles falling from their shelves in the back room. Crowley sighed. “The one time your father was right.”

Gabriel gave all the spilled alcohol a forlorn look. “You've got to love the irony though.”

There was a flash of light, causing Crowley and Gabriel to cover their eyes. When it receded, the lone window and light bulb were in pieces, electricity sparking everywhere, but a figure stood in the white circle of symbols they'd drawn on the floor.

He—at least it appeared to be male—was tall, with perhaps half a foot on both of them, with short brown hair, and piercing blue-green eyes. In the light of the sparks, Crowley could almost make out the outlines of wings.

“So you're Gadreel?” Gabriel asked.

“I am,” the creature said with a nod, lips curling into a smile. “Hello, Gabriel.”

The way this supposed angel looked at his partner, it made Crowley feel like he wasn't even in the room. He crossed his arms, swallowing down what might have been jealousy and the urge to stab Gadreel. “Well now that you can talk without killing us apparently, how about you tell us who you are?”

Gadreel turned to him, and his smile faded. “I apologize for earlier. I was… some might call it over-excited.” He shifted, looking back at Gabriel. “I'm an angel of the Lord, the one that freed you from Hell.”

“Wait a minute.” Gabriel held up a hand and took a step back. “Not that I'm not grateful, but why? I mean, I sent myself down there. I knew what what I was doing.”

Guilt gnawed at Crowley's stomach, the same guilt that had been plaguing him for over a year. He'd found ways to push it down, to ignore it, but now, standing in front of Gabriel and a Heavenly being, it was impossible to put away.

The angel tilted his head, his brow furrowing. “What you did, you did for the right reasons. Though that's not why God chose to save you.”

Their disbelief came in the sound of a pair of audible swallows. Neither of them had particularly religious upbringings, but after they'd become hunters, the possibility of God had gone out the window for them.

“I'm sorry, what?” Crowley couldn't help but ask.

Gadreel didn't bother looking at him this time. “God has work for you, Gabriel Shurley.”

* * *

**Two years later** :

It was hard to believe it was all over. The archangels Sam and Dean—the Devil and the leader of Heaven—were locked away in the Cage, their trickster brother Adam who made it all possible off playing dead somewhere, because Crowley didn't believe for a moment he would've let Sam get the better of him.

The events of the day kept rolling through Crowley's mind, and he found himself unable to sleep. By three AM, he gave up and headed into the kitchen. Seeing as Gabriel hadn't even come to bed, he didn't see the harm in it.

His partner sat at the Milton kitchen table, as they'd temporarily taken up residence at the house. Cas and Anna and Jo, Anna's girlfriend and apparent rebel guardian angel, didn't seem to mind.

“Hey,” Gabriel said, voice hoarse and slurred, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of him.

Crowley sat down across from him and decided to help him drain the rest of the bottle. It was the only logical solution. “You're doing better than I thought.”

Gabriel looked up at him, glaring a little. “What? You thought I'd be a complete mess after seeing the two brothers I haven't seen in twenty years get thrown into Hell, and there was nothing I could do about it? Gee, that's a crazy conclusion to draw.”

“You could've done it yourself,” Crowley said after a swig. He realized the error of his words immediately after he said them, Gabriel's anger and self-loathing almost tangible. Trying to backpedal, he added, “Not that I think you should have. Really, we're both selfish pricks, so—”

“Not helping, Crowles.” Gabriel snatched the bottle and took a deep drink. “I know Mike and Luce chose to do it of their own free will, but.” He sighed, sliding the bottle back.

He raised the bottle to his lips but stopped shy of drinking. Instead, Crowley put it down and reached for Gabriel, twining their fingers together. “They saved the world, love, and not that I doubt you or I, but I think they were the only ones who could.”

The smaller man nodded, though it seemed reluctant, his eyes far away. “At least they finally stopped fighting, like when we were younger. Remember?”

The memory was slow to come back to him, suppressed as it was, though Crowley smiled when he found it. “And you'd try to stop them every time, and I always had to patch you up after, you idiot.”

“Hey, someone had to. Dad was never around to do it,” Gabriel said. He blinked and seemed to see Crowley again, and a smile crept onto his face too. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Before he could answer, Gadreel landed in the kitchen. Gabriel slid a chair out with his foot, and the angel all but collapsed into it.

“How's Heaven?” Crowley asked.

“Celeste—er, Charlie has taken up leadership, and she's trying to restore order. She actually asked me to help.” Gadreel hesitated, glancing at the bottle and their joined hands. “Are you two all right?”

Gabriel nodded. “We'll be fine. The bigger question is if Charlie is going to try to ‘rescue’ her big brothers.”

Gadreel gave him a look before continuing. “It would seem not. But if I become second in command in Heaven, I can ensure she doesn't.”

“‘If’?” Crowley raised an eyebrow. “You mean you're thinking about not taking it? Which would be just about the dumbest thing you could right now, by the way.”

“I—” Gadreel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He could be so human sometimes that Crowley couldn't help but be a little proud. “If I do this, it will mean I have less time to spend here.”

“With us, you mean?” Gabriel asked, and Crowley could've sworn he heard his voice waver.

“Mm,” was all Gadreel said. He put his hand over theirs, though he wouldn't look either of them in the eye.

Crowley looked to Gabriel, mouth dry and no words forthcoming. His partner bit at his lip, and Crowley hoped that thinking face didn't lead them anywhere disastrous, like it had so many times in the past.

“Well, you should sleep on it, at least. It's been a long day,” Gabriel said at last. “Charlie will understand that.”

Gadreel didn't give his token “But I don't need to sleep” speech. He let Gabriel guide him to bed without a word, Crowley right behind him. They laid down on top of the covers, not even bothering to remove their clothes. Gabriel ended up in the middle of the pile, somehow snuggling into them both; it was a talent of his.

“You should do it,” Gabriel whispered, as Crowley was starting to drift off.

“But—”

“I know.” Crowley could feel him twist towards Gadreel, and he cracked an eye to see Gabriel nuzzling the angel's chest. “We'll make it work, don't worry.”

“We always do,” Crowley added, and it was true. The fact that the world still stood was testament to that.

“Ignoring the untrue implication that you wouldn't be worth the sacrifice, I'll trust in your confidence,” Gadreel said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. He draped an arm over Gabriel's waist to settle hand on Crowley's, pulling them both in closer. “It’s served me well before.”

“Actually it's gotten you killed at least once, but the same can be said of all us, so eh.” Gabriel yawned then and snuggled back in. “C'mon, let's just go to sleep. Tired doesn't even begin to cover it.”

Crowley smirked. “You're the one who woke me up, arse.”

“No one asked you to eavesdrop.”

“And no one asked you for a self help speech at four in the morning.”

Gadreel sighed, and Crowley suddenly felt himself being dragged back under into the realm of sleep.

“Damn it, Gad, what did I say about angel roofies?”

“I believe you said something about sleep?”

“I— Fuck, no, you don't get to—” Gabriel's voice trailed off, followed by a quiet laugh from Gadreel, and Crowley knew he was smiling as he drifted off.


End file.
